Old members meet and greet

Shanazel

Moderator
We have a lot of new members (YAY!!!) and I thought perhaps it would be polite for the older members to introduce ourselves. Doesn't seem quite fair for the new folks to share their background with us without returning the favor.

OKay. I guess me first.

I'm Shanazel, a moderator for the Costumes subforum and for the Students and Instructors subforum. I've been hanging around OD since long before the Great Hack of 2006. I started dancing in the mid-1970s, performed professionally for a couple of years before I married, then turned to teaching. I've retired from dance at least three times but it never takes. I currently teach classes at the local recreation center and have students who weren't born when I started dancing.

Heck, a couple of the younger ones have mothers that probably weren't born when I started dancing. Woo, now there is a scary thought. :shok:

My personal style is Classic American Oriental (aka Classic American Cabaret) but I have been known to stray into other styles upon occasion. I like good fusion but tend to get a tad huffy about attempts to pass off "just do whatever makes you feel good" as belly dance. I've always made my own costumes, having more sewing skills than money, and have watched fashions come and go with differing amounts of amazement and chagrin.

Welcome to everyone who is new (or newish ;)) and may you have a long and happy association with Oriental Dancer. A lot of great folks hang out here and we are always happy to welcome new additions to the community.

Next?
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
OK, I'm up! ( good idea Shan)
I'm Mosaic Super-Moderator (along with Gisela), which means I can mod all subforums in case a mod is not around & kind of make extra decisions if and when needed especially if Salome our illustrious forum owner and admin is not around. I've been a member since 2007 I think it was.

I have been dancing a measly 7 years Egyptian style & teach the same:D Being a "Grand Dame";) Which means I am less that 100yrs ( you become a Great-Grand Dame at that point:lol:) - coming into BD a tad late, I'll never be a professional as in restaurant dancing and the like, but that doesn't stop me attending classes and it's fun to teach.

I'm married 4 kids, grandmother to 5. My youngest is off to university next year.

So welcome to all newcomers and older newcomers ( hmmmm does that make sense:D) This is a great forum and is quite the world wide internet family with the usual family ups & downs, but its a fun place so enjoy!
~Mosaic
 

Marya

Member
Well, my join date is July, 2006, but I lurked on the site for quite awhile before actually joining. I am not a regular, and I don't often have a lot to say but I enjoy the fellowship here and the videos posted and music identified.

I live in a town of 1,940 in NE Oregon in the middle of nowhere. I take private classes from Aisha Azar and occasionally get to dance in her shows. (I get pretty excited when that happens).

Been dancing since 1993 but didn't start until I was 43 so never will be a rich famous Belly dancer but it is the only art form that has kept me happy for nearly 20 years. I also study Balkan Folk dance when I get a chance and really like that too.

I once wrote for what was supposed to be a brief bio for a web site that I was an un-actualized fiber and dance artist disguised as an ecologist and tropical forester, currently working in the completely unrelated field of Historic Preservation and is looking forward to retirement. that about sums it up.

Marya
 

teela

New member
Hi, I'm teela, I've been here for a few years. I have been learning belly dance for just over 10 years and classify myself more as modern american caberet because I've learned a variety of styles and that seems to be the one I end up at most of the time. I am normally found in the boondocks of Alaska masquarading as a math science type teacher. I get into town to take lessons once in awhile and spend most days doing 1 hour of practice as I love it. I didn't start till I was in my mid 40's and will never be professional but love it and have fun doing it. i make about half my costumes and have bought about half of them but plan on making more of my own due to the cost of buying costumes.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
I'm Darshiva, plain ol' run of the mill mod of the very quiet debate forum, and I have to go check my profile for my join date. Well it looks like I'm a young'un because it's May 2009.

I teach & perform Modern Oriental, having recently migrated there from being staunchly Egyptian style. Egyptian is my one true love, don't get me wrong, but my western ears keep giving me a more Modern Oriental flavour to my dancing than I would ever be happy with labelling Egyptian, so here I am.

I am a lot more feisty in person than I let on on the forum. On forum I think I come across as either pompous or well-informed and often in the same post. Don't let my opinion get in the way of yours - I love a good argument and get a huge thrill from seeing someone shoot me down in flames with logic and facts to back them up.

Oh yeah, family stuff... Married, one cat. Married to the job too, but fortunately for me my job is bellydance so it's not so bad. ;)
 

Mya

New member
Hiiiiii,

I'm Mya, i'm from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean where the BD scene is tiny and in a wretched state....i'm a dance infant - only been doing it for 6 years. i do get hired for weddings, parties etc., but i don't consider myself a professional. i don't equate the two.

i'm a very friendly person but i'm also quite frank and my bluntness is often taken for an obnoxious attitude...generally people who know me can distinguish when i'm actually being an obnoxious beeyatch and i mostly don't care about those who can't. lol I'm also known for speaking my mind about the dance both here and in real life whether or not people like it. takes a thick skin, but i love the dance and we have to protect it.

i used to lurk on the forum for a while before i joined and when i finally did i was very active for a while until i started by grad work and academia ate my soul...now that i'm finished (until next year) i'm starting back to post a little more. :)
 

Safran

New member
Great idea, Shanazel!!!

I'm Safran, and I come from the Northern corner of the planet - Estonia :) I am moderating the lyrics' section on the forum. The date on my user profile says that I have been hanging on the forum for about five years - wow, didn't realise that I had been around that long :)

I have been dancing oriental for over 8 years now, and teaching regular classes for two years. Sharqi is my first love, but I try to give at least one try at other styles too! :D I have travelled quite a bit because of dancing, and partially I have to thank the forum for that: the people here have done a great deal to expand my dance horizons. And, it is great to travel and meet the forum members in person! The ones I've met are just as cool as they seem on the forum, really! :cool:
 

Jane

New member
Hi, this is "Jane" aka Arwen Cochran from Montana, USA. I joined OD in 2007 and started dancing around 1996 I think. I'm terrible with dates. I started with American Oriental style, briefly tried ATS, moved on to Turkish, then started Egyptian styles. I teach two regular classes a week and only perform on occasion anymore- I'm very pickey about my venues.

My dance philosophy is that dance should be more about Middle Eastern culture than counter-culture. I don't have a problem with fusion or spin-off dances as long as they are correctly labeled for what they are.

I'm also a Laurel in Middle Eastern dance in the Society for Creative Anachronism where I study and teach re-creations of historical dances and costumes of the Ottoman Empire in the late sixteenth century.

I'm married to a great guy who sells hospital supplies and fly fishes for fun. I have a daughter in college who is also on the forum as "Molly". She still dances occasionally with me, but she's going to school full time and works too. Busy girl. My fur children include three cats and two dogs. Former active duty Marine during Desert Shield/Storm, I didn't go to Saudi Arabia or Kuwait but my ex-husband did.

Besides belly dancing I enjoy: reading, several types of costuming, music, medieval and renaissance history, hiking, yoga, the gym, crossbow target archery, and camping.

I have a weakness for beautiful fabrics, nutella, and shrimp dishes.
 

Lydia

New member
hello i am Lydia...been around a few years but last year not active....but i am trying to stay around and give my 2 cents now and then....i am living and working in Dubai for the last 28 years.the money i make comes from Dancing only ! i been dancing the 28 years and teaching sinds 10.years....i dont follow any styles realy i feel lucky that i did not have internet till a few years ago so i could do my ,,own things very much and beside meeting dancers in the middle east to share and compere my style is realy my own i am proud to say....i am married have a son that is the apple of my eye...i love life specialy nature and love to spend my spare time if there is any outdoors in the desert, beach,or animal markets that always can use a helping hand in the middle east....so that is a bit about me...o dont take my post to letterly because english is not my language,did not go to school much i was born in a gypsycamp and my parents traveled a lot....have a nice day all ,o thanks Salome...for creating this site
 

Amulya

Moderator
I also have been a member here from before the Great Hack* (LOL Shan!), others might know me from before Orientaldancer as a Bhuz member. Have been a member from the moment Bhuz was created, but not on there much anymore (don't tell anyone, but it's more fun here)
I moderate the costume section here. Costuming is one of my favorite parts of belly dance and I make most of my own costumes.

I started belly dancing in 1993 in Amsterdam. The style I started out with was mainly classical Egyptian but one teacher used to teach some modern stuff as well and trow in some Turkish things here and there.

I have long since tried out many different styles and I don't know if I ever will get stuck with just one. I don't think that is possible for me.

I moved to Australia a bit over 6 years ago and have moved 6 times in those years! I live in Melbourne now with my boyfriend and our two cats.

*for those from before the Great Hack, does your join date show 2006 in it? I don't remember when OD was created, it might have been around before I discovered it, but I was posting here for a long time before it got hacked. I am trying to figure out how this matches up with my join date :think:
 

mahsati_janan

New member
I am Mahsati Janan. I've been on this forum for a very long time, though I go through active and lurking periods depending on the topics and discussions happening. I've been dancing for a little over 16 years now and love every minute of it. While my specialties are classical /modern Egyptian and the folkloric styles, I also love and perform Turkish, Lebanese, and American Orientale styles. I am an instructor, choreographer, researcher, and performer, so I almost always have a few projects in the works. I am an anthropological researcher in my day job, so that gives me even more excuses to study up on everything to do with Middle East, Mediterranean, and North African arts.

Let's see...what else. I am currently in the planning and design stages for a worldwide survey of belly dancers to be opened for online data entry sometime in 2012. I have 3 instructional dvds out right now and another 2 in the pre-production stages. I am always traveling for dance, so I love to meet other dancers when I do.

Wow - this is pretty hard to do actually. I am not sure what people would want to know! LOL :lol:

Just remembered to mention location: I am currently based in Asheville, NC, and before that I was in central Florida (Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater) and north Florida (Jacksonville/Gainesville/St. Augustine).
 
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Marya

Member
*for those from before the Great Hack, does your join date show 2006 in it? I don't remember when OD was created, it might have been around before I discovered it, but I was posting here for a long time before it got hacked. I am trying to figure out how this matches up with my join date :think:

I was wondering about this too. I could swear I was on the forum before 2006 by at least 2 or 3 years, but who keeps track of stuff like that? I remember the Great Hack and the horrible withdrawal period of no forum so I must have been around before then.

Marya
 

AndreaSTL

New member
Hello! I'm Andrea, and I live in the St. Louis, MO area. I've been dancing for about 15 years, and I prefer Egyptian style. Folkloric is also my friend; Saidi in particular. Um, I might have blown out the bass in my car while listening to Saidi. :rolleyes:

I'm trained as an accountant, but I chucked that about five years ago and opened up a costume business. Rather than purchase from another vendor, I take an annual trip to Cairo to select my costumes. It doesn't make me a ton of money, but my happiness has increased and my quality of life is so much better. Not having an office job during the week allows me to spend 2 1/2 days a week helping out at the local food pantry. I've been married since 1993, and we have two cats. I enjoy making things, and I like to do mosaics, quilt, and crochet the most.

Thank you so much for starting this thread! Since I'm only here every few weeks or so and miss so much, it's nice to have this chance to "meet" people.
 

gisela

Super Moderator
This is fun to read about you all, even though I feel like I already know you :)

Hello, I am Gisela, swedish but living in Denmark. On this forum I am a supermoderator together with Mosaic. I am not a very chatty person (but I am nice:)) and I think I sometimes comes off more blunt than I would like, as writing in english takes a bit of work for me.

My belly dance-journey began in 2003 and since then I've been taking classes two or three times a week. I do a bit of performing at Haflas and recitals and lately also some parties and a wedding and stuff. Not so much that I can call myself a pro though, perhaps semi-pro.
This September I started teaching and it is great! It is such a challenge to come up with stuff, make level appropriate choreos and exercises, choose suitable music etc but I am learning loads from it.

In my "civilian" life I am a ceramic artist, struggling with the same things as in the bellydance life: How to find customers, get proper pay for the goods, marketing, trusting my talent etc etc....

The members of this forum have taught me so much about the dance and culture and on top of that I get to practice communicating in english :D
 

gisela

Super Moderator
I was wondering about this too. I could swear I was on the forum before 2006 by at least 2 or 3 years, but who keeps track of stuff like that? I remember the Great Hack and the horrible withdrawal period of no forum so I must have been around before then.

Marya

I think those who were here before the Great Hack all have July 2006 as join date. When I joined in august 2006 everone was talking about the hack so it must have just happened, and become resolved in July.
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
I think those who were here before the Great Hack all have July 2006 as join date. When I joined in august 2006 everone was talking about the hack so it must have just happened, and become resolved in July.
I'd be around "lurking" prior to what must have been the "great hack" (I didn't know about that - probably because a year later it was well and truly over), and when the forum disappeared I thought it had closed but found it in 07 again and it has grown from strength to strength since I joined:D

Mahsati what you wrote is perfect:D I am enjoying finding out snippets of background on the forum's "golden oldies" - as in long term members:lol:
~Mosaic
 

Shanazel

Moderator
The Great Hack ended July 2006. I know because I checked several times a day for OD to return to us and rejoined ASAP when it finally did. Such a dark time- if I hadn't had some e-mail addresses for OD folks I'd have gone into serious withdrawal. I'd belonged to OD for several years at that point; it was the first forum I ever participated in and it is still my favorite. Love all you all! MMMWAHHH!
 

Suzanne Azhaar

Active member
Greetings Everyone,

Suzanne Azhaar here, dancing almost twenty-two years. Started in California, currently reside in the desert of New Mexico (glorious N.M. sunsets).

Enjoy sewing costumes as a challenge (doesn’t matter if I wear them or not, sewing is relaxing). Learned the basics from an auntie who could duplicate any complex garment without a pattern. (Fervently wish we’d had more time together.) Supplemented education from an exacting Baroness in the S.C.A., and now I quietly teach others who find their way to my doorstep. Once in a while I will purchase a costume, but it better be pretty spiffy (something I can learn from)~ mixed beading styles, materials, and unique design work. (Last costume purchase was 2004 from Madame Abla).

Currently inspired by B.D. fashion of 1970’s N. America (couple concepts zooming around). Still in the phase of ‘how would I recreate that and make it fashion forward’? Always means learning something new.

Favor Egyptian classical music with a full orchestra and play sagats when the opportunity presents itself. Dance style is a blend of Egyptian and North American (can’t be helped, born and raised in the U.S.). Appreciate watching youtube videos of the Golden Era dancers. (When an evening out meant gentlemen wore suits and ladies donned cocktail dresses.)

Outside of the dance I’m a mother and grandmother, and nothing beats getting dirty with home renovations, carpentry, and landscaping. Hubby once joked, “Gut that bathroom while I go play golf.” When he returned the bathroom was gone, down to the studs and subfloor (lol). I’m little, but determined (love the new powder room). Can’t wait for spring and more renovations.

Other than that~ quiet and don’t say a whole lot unless it’s constructive.

Member since 2008….must be correct since I don’t remember ‘the great hack of 2006’.
 
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